Hand-shield



S. P. BARKE.

HAND SHIELD.

(No Model.)

Patented Mar. 16, 1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

SAMUEL F. BARKE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

HAN D-SHI ELD.

SPECIFIGATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 578,852, dated March 16, 1897.

Application filed July 20, 1895. Serial No. 556,549. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL F. BARKE, a citizen of the United States, residingin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Hand-Shields, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in hand-shields and to that particular class of hand-shields worn bystreet-car drivers, motormen, and gripmen who are obliged at all times to keep one hand upon the brake-handle of their car. Unless a shield be used the metal of the brake-handle or the poisonous oxidation formed thereon wears off on the hand and in time enters the pores of the skin and produces erosion and blood poison.

My invention consists of the improved form of shield whereby the hand is better protected than heretofore.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective View illustrating the shield in use. Fig. 2 is a rear view of the shield as worn upon the hand. Fig. 3 is a view of the shield extended; and Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing a modified form of. fastening.

The hand-shield is made of two pieces of leather 1 and 4, out to the shape shown in Fig. 2.

1 represents the main portion of the shield, which passes over the back of the hand and which is provided with the clips 2 for receiving the lacing, whereby the shield is secured upon the hand. The piece 1 has an incision 3, formed therein, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 3, and through the opening thus provided the thumb of the hand is adapted to pass, as may be seen on reference to Fig. 1, the flap 3 resting against the base of the thumb.

4 represents the palm or wearing portion of the shield, attached to the portion 1 and preferably made of rawhide for its extra wearin g qualities. This piece has a projecting flap 5,which extends over and beyond the flap 3 of the portion 1,and this flap covers and fully protects the ball of the thumb, as shown in Fig. 1. The piece at is glued to the piece 1 and is sewed thereto at the outer edge, and in addition to this I also use the rivets P at the points where the strain comes on the piece 4 when the hand {grasps the brake-handle. I may mold or form this portion of the shield to the shape it assumes when the hand grasps the brake-handle in the manner shown in Fig. 1, although this is not essential to the best use of the shield.

To prevent the shield slipping down into the palm of the hand,I provide loops 6, through which the forefingers of the hand may pass, by extending the piece 1 to form a strap 7, slitting the piece 1 at Sin the manner shown, and passing the strap 7 through these slits and sewing or riveting it at the point 9. I do not wish to limit myself to the manner of forming the loops, however, as a separate piece of leather or cotton webbing may be sewed to the inner face of the piece 1 and serve to engage the fingers.

It will be noticed that the palm-piece of the shield extends well over the lower joints of the fingers, so as to protect the same. hen used for other purposes than the use for which the shield is especially designed, the palm-piece could be so shortened as to cover only the palm.

To secure the shield on the hand, I preferably provide the catches 2 and the eyelets 2, through which a 1acing-cord, as 10, may be passed and crossed over the catches 2 and tied at 11 at the lower portion of the shield. I do not wish to confine myself to this particular form of fastening, as I may use a strapand-buckle fastening, as shown in Fig. 4.

WVhile I have shown and described my improved hand-shield as especially adapted for the use of street-car-railway men, it is obvious that with but slight modification it could be used for other uses, notably for ball-playing or other sport, and also for handling stone or iron.

The shield shown in the drawings herewith is intended to be worn on the right hand; but it will be apparent that the same features of improvement could be applied to a shield to be worn on the left hand.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. As a new article of manufacture, a handshield made of a piece of material which extends around the entire hand and having a palm-piece secured thereto, the shield having a slit for the passage of the thumb, said slit being so shaped as to form from the material composing the shield a flap to protect the thumb, and the palm-piece being also provided with a projecting flap extending over the flap formed by the slit in the shield, the flap of the palm-piece being free to yield to conform to and protect the base of the thumb when the latter is passed through the slit in the shield, substantially as described.

2. As anew article of manufacture, a handshield of the character described having means for securing it to the hand, consisting of the main portion 1 having a slit therein for the passage of the thumb, a flap formed by said slit, the palm-piece secured to the main I 5 SAMUEL F. BARKE.

\Vitnesses: v

MURRAY 0. BOYER, Jos. H. KLEIN. 

